System, methods, and apparatus for in-vehicle fiducial mark tracking and interpretation

ABSTRACT

Certain embodiments of the invention may include systems, methods, and apparatus for in-vehicle fiducial mark tracking and interpretation According to an example embodiment of the invention, a method is provided for executing computer executable instructions by one or more processors. The method includes receiving the one or more images from at least one camera attached to a vehicle; selecting, from the one or more received images, a region of interest associated with an object in the vehicle; identifying fiducial marks within the selected region of interest by comparing the identified fiducial marks with one or more stored fiducial representations; determining, based at least in part on the comparison, spatial information associated with the object or an occupant of the vehicle; and sending information based at least in part on the determined spatial information.

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.13/977,611, filed Jun. 28, 2013, which is a 371 national stage entry ofInternational Application No. PCT/US2011/067821, filed Dec. 29, 2011,the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in theirentireties.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention generally relates to tracking patterns with a camera in avehicle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Modern automobiles are designed with a plethora of in-cabin controls andsensors for receiving input from occupants of a vehicle and/or measuringaspects associated with the vehicle. As automobile designers andengineers develop additional ways to enhance occupant safety and comfortby adding additional controls and sensors to the cabin, the problem ofinterconnection and console real estate needs to be addressed. Thereexists needs to simplify console wiring harnesses, reduce bulk, increasereliability, and decrease manufacturing costs.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

Reference will now be made to the accompanying figures and diagrams,which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:

FIG. 1A is a side-view illustration of a cabin-facing cameraarrangement, according to an example embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 1B is an example illustration of fiducial marks on a steeringwheel, as viewed from the cabin-facing camera as shown in FIG. 1A,according to an example embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is an example illustration of fiducial marks on a safety belt,according to an example embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an illustrative process for tracking andinterpreting information associated with fiducial marks, according to anexample embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an illustrative process for tracking andinterpreting information associated with fiducial marks, when a portionof the fiducial mark pattern is occluded, according to an exampleembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5A is an example illustration of a steering wheel, with a portionof the steering wheel having a fiducial mark pattern, according to anexample embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5B is an example illustration of the steering wheel of FIG. 5A,with a hand occluding a portion of the fiducial mark pattern, accordingto an example embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5C is an example illustration of the steering wheel of FIG. 5B,showing fiducial mark pattern occlusions, according to an exampleembodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an example image processing andinterpretation control system, according to an example embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of an example method according to an exampleembodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the invention will be described more fully hereinafterwith reference to the accompanying drawings, in which embodiments of theinvention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in manydifferent forms and should not be construed as limited to theembodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided sothat this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fullyconvey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.

In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth.However, it is understood that embodiments of the invention may bepracticed without these specific details. In other instances, well-knownmethods, structures, and techniques have not been shown in detail inorder not to obscure an understanding of this description. References to“one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” “example embodiment,” “variousembodiments,” etc., indicate that the embodiment(s) of the invention sodescribed may include a particular feature, structure, orcharacteristic, but not every embodiment necessarily includes theparticular feature, structure, or characteristic. Further, repeated useof the phrase “in one embodiment” does not necessarily refer to the sameembodiment, although it may.

As used herein, unless otherwise specified, the use of the ordinaladjectives “first,” “second,” “third,” etc., to describe a commonobject, merely indicates that different instances of like objects arebeing referred to and are not intended to imply that the objects sodescribed must be in a given sequence, either temporally, spatially, inranking, or in any other manner.

Certain embodiments of the invention may enable vehicle cabininformation to be obtained, tracked, and interpreted using a camera andcomputer processor system. Example embodiments may include fiducialmarks and/or known patterns placed on objects within the vehicle that,when detected by the camera and analyzed, may provide information aboutitems or occupants in the vehicle. For example, a steering wheel mayinclude a pattern of markings that can be detected by a camera andanalyzed to determine the angle of the steering wheel. Additionalinformation that may be obtained, according to example embodiments,includes an angular velocity or angular acceleration of the steeringwheel. Such information may be utilized, for example, to determine ifthe driver is attempting to turn the wheel too fast for a given vehiclespeed. According to another example embodiment, a steering wheel mayinclude a pattern of markings that can be detected by a camera andanalyzed to determine a hand placement on the steering wheel. Suchinformation may be utilized, for example, to provide feedback forincreasing safety or functionality.

According to another example embodiment, one or more safety belts withinthe vehicle may include fiducial markings that can be detected by acamera and analyzed to determine information such as proper use, length,probable driver, etc. Embodiments of the invention may include opticallyidentifiable patterns and/or fiducial markings on other items within thevehicle, such as wiper controls, turn signals, gear shifts, sun roof,windows, doors, seats, etc., that may be monitored by a camera andprocessed by a computer processor to determine position, rotation,orientation, etc.

Example embodiments of the invention may be utilized to track or measureitems associated with the vehicle to determine information associatedwith the items. Such information, according to an example embodiment,may be used to generate certain commands or output. For example, certainactions may be taken on behalf of an occupant, based on interpreting oneor more images. According to an example embodiment, a particularoccupant may have an associated preference profile that may include seatand/or mirror configurations.

According to an example embodiment, information such as safety beltlength and/or hand placement on the steering wheel may be detected,processed, and interpreted as relating to the particular occupant, andin turn, certain preferences or settings may be automaticallyconfigured. According to an example embodiment, the camera and processorsystem may enhance the driving experience and/or safety in a way thatmay allow the driver to concentrate on driving rather than beingpreoccupied with seat settings, etc.

According to an example embodiment, one or more stiffness actuatorsembedded in a safety belt mechanism may be applied based on informationrelated to the processing of an image. According to an exampleembodiment, predictive action to facilitate a turn may be based on theimage processing and information. According to an example embodiment, ahand gripping on the steering wheel may be identified and/ordistinguished from a hand resting on a portion of the steering wheel.According to example embodiments, spatial information related to objectsassociated with the vehicle may be processed to identify and indicate,for example, poor driving skill, safety belt tension, finger gestures,and other related information.

According to example embodiments, various fiducial marks and/or patternsmay be utilized in conjunction with an image capture and processingsystem, and will now be described with reference to the accompanyingfigures.

FIG. 1A depicts a side-view illustration of an arrangement that includesa cabin-facing camera 102, according to an example embodiment of theinvention. In this example embodiment, the camera 102 may be attached tothe steering wheel column 104, and may be configured to image a portionof the steering wheel 106. For example, the camera field of view 108 mayinclude the back of the steering wheel on a side opposite of where adriver may sit in the vehicle. According to an example embodiment, thecamera field of view 108 may be configured to image additional portionsof the steering wheel 106, the driver, a safety belt, or other items inthe vehicle, and will be further discussed below with reference to FIGS.2 and 5. According to other example embodiments, the camera may beattached or integrated into other portions of the vehicle, such as thedash, the rear-view mirror, slightly above the windshield, or in aconvenient place within the console.

FIG. 1B is an example illustration of fiducial marks 110 on the back ofthe steering wheel 106, as viewed facing the cabin, for example, from afront portion of the vehicle. In this example embodiment, the top halfportion of the steering wheel 106, on a side opposite of the driver, mayinclude a series of fiducial marks 110 that may be utilized to uniquelyidentify the angular position of the steering wheel or the position ofthe driver's hands. According to an example embodiment, the fiducialmarks 110 may be detected with the field of view 108 of the camera 102,and may be distinguished from other portions of the vehicle, forexample, by contrast, brightness, color, etc. According to an exampleembodiment, the fiducial marks 110 may include a reflective material,which may be illuminated with ambient light, or by a separate lightsource, to provide adequate image fidelity for distinguishing the marksfrom non-marked portions of the object.

FIG. 2 is an example illustration of fiducial marks 202 on a safetybelt, according to an example embodiment of the invention. According toan example embodiment, a cabin facing camera (such as the camera 102shown in FIG. 1A or FIG. 1A) may be configured to image at least aportion of the safety belt fiducial marks 202, and the image(s) may beprocessed to determine the position, length, etc., associated with thesafety belt. Information obtained by processing the images related tothe safety belt may then be utilized, for example, to control stiffnessor tension of the safety belt, determine a probable identity of theoccupant, or provide alerts if the safety belt is not in a correctposition.

FIG. 3 depicts a block diagram of an illustrative process for trackingand interpreting information associated with fiducial marks, accordingto an example embodiment of the invention. The blocks may representimaging and processing associated with fiducial marks located, forexample, on an arc portion of a steering wheel image 302. In an exampleembodiment, a radial-to-linear fiducial mark transformation may beutilized to convert a portion of the steering wheel image 302 to alinear representation 304 of the fiducial marks for ease of processing.According to another example embodiment, the processing may be doneentirely in an arc space without transformation. In such a case, thelinear version is shown here for clarity. According to an exampleembodiment, portions of the process as shown in FIG. 3 may also begeneralized and used for processing images related to other items in thevehicle marked with fiducial marks or patterns, such as linear (ornear-linear) portions of a safety belt or other portions of the steeringwheel. According to an example embodiment, fiducial markings may beapplied to a portion of a head rest for determining a comfort position.According to an example embodiments, fiducial markings may be applied toone or more of a seat back, a gear selector, an accelerator pedal, abrake pedal, an emergency brake pedal or lever, a sun visor, a glovecompartment, or a door.

Returning to the example depicted in FIG. 3, and according to an exampleembodiment, a steering wheel image 302 may be captured by a camera, andmay be processed to obtain a fiducial mark representation 304. Accordingto an example embodiment, the fiducial mark representation 304 mayinclude a unique region 306, for which the markings may be encoded touniquely identify the angle, orientation, or position of an object (inthis case, the steering wheel angle). According to an exampleembodiment, the fiducial mark representation 304 may include an alignregion 308 that may be extracted as an alignment grid 310 and utilizedfor aligning the steering wheel image 302 or the fiducial markrepresentation 304 with a matching alignment pattern 312. In an exampleembodiment, the alignment process 314 may include determining an offsetbetween the extracted alignment grid 310 and the matching alignmentpattern 312. In an example embodiment, the offset 316 may be applied tothe extracted unique region pattern 318 as a shift process 320 toproduce an aligned pattern 322. According to an example embodiment,shifting the extracted unique region pattern 318 by the determinedoffset 316 may reduce a search space in a searching process 326 formatching the aligned pattern 322 with a prior pattern 324 to determinethe angle, orientation, or position of a marked object (in this case,the steering wheel angle, θ 327).

According to an example embodiment, the unique region 306 may be relatedto the align region 308 in a known fashion, so that when the offset 316is applied in the shift process 320, the resulting marks of the alignedpattern 322 may be better aligned with the prior pattern 324. Asindicated above, the offset 316 and shift 320 processes may reduce thecomputation time and/or search space needed for finding a prior pattern324 that matches the aligned pattern.

According to an example embodiment, a convolution process may beperformed between, for example, the prior pattern 324 and the extractedunique region pattern 318 to determine the angle, orientation, orposition of a marked object. In an example embodiment, a correlation maybe performed, for example, by using multiplication in Fouriertransform-space (or via z-transforms), and a maxima position may beutilized to determine the offset, angle, orientation, or position of amarked object.

According to an example embodiment, a video camera may be utilized tomonitor and capture frames of the marked object to determine movement.For example, in the case of the steering wheel as shown in FIG. 3, themovement in the angle θ 327 from frame-to-frame may be tracked andinterpolated to provide frame-to-frame smoothing 328 to produce a finalangle, θ_(final) 330.

According to an example embodiment, part of the searching process 326may include one or more thresholds that may be utilized for determiningif a portion of the fiducial mark pattern is occluded. When an occlusionis detected (for example, when a driver has placed hands on the steeringwheel), an additional process 332 may be utilized, and will now bediscussed with reference to FIG. 4.

FIG. 4 shows a block diagram of an illustrative process for tracking andinterpreting information associated with fiducial marks when a portionof the fiducial mark pattern is occluded, according to an exampleembodiment. In an example embodiment, the occluded and aligned pattern402 (corresponding to the aligned pattern 322 of FIG. 3) may have aportion 404 of the fiducial mark pattern missing or occluded due to anobstruction (driver's hand, clothing, etc). According to an exampleembodiment, a matched filter or pattern 406 may be utilized in themeasurement of the occlusion 408. In an example embodiment, themeasurement of the occlusion 408 may be utilized to determine 410 theoffset, angle 412, orientation, or position of a marked object and/orthe position of the occlusion 414 with respect to the marked object.

According to an example embodiment, the position of the occlusion 414with respect to the marked object may be utilized to provide, forexample, information about a driver's hand placement on the steeringwheel, and/or whether the hand is in an adequate, optimum, or safeposition. Such information may be utilized to determine the driver'sdriving performance and safety. In certain embodiments, such informationmay be utilized to provide feedback to the driver for training purposes.In yet other example embodiments, such information may be utilized formodifying control or other functions associated with the vehicle.

FIGS. 5A through 5C depict example illustrations of markings 504 on theback of a steering wheel 502 that may be utilized to determine theposition of one or more hands 506 on the steering wheel 502. FIG. 5Adepicts an example illustration of non-occluded markings 504 on thesteering wheel 502, as may be seen using a cabin-facing camera mountedon or near the dash, or on the vehicle's steering column. The markings504 may include one or more of a grid, as shown, chirped patterns, orother indicia that may be utilized to distinguish an obstruction and/orthe rotation angle of the steering wheel.

FIG. 5B depicts a driver's right hand 506 gripping or resting on thesteering wheel 502. According to an example embodiment of the invention,the markings 504 may be included on other portions of the steering wheel502 to also facilitate determining a position of the driver's left.

FIG. 5C depicts an example illustration of the steering wheel 502 withan occluded region 508 that, for example, may obscure or hide themarkings 504 due to the position of a hand 506 or other object on thesteering wheel 502. According to an example embodiment of the invention,a camera (for example, the camera 102 as shown in FIG. 1) may beutilized to receive images corresponding to the portion of the steeringwheel 502 opposite of a driver, and the images may be processed todistinguish the regions of the markings 504 that are visible, from theoccluded region(s) 508. According to an example embodiment, suchinformation may be utilized to provide, for example, information about adriver's hand placement on the steering wheel 502, and/or whether thehand is in an adequate, optimum, or safe position. Such information maybe utilized to determine the driver's driving performance and safety. Incertain embodiments, such information may be utilized to providefeedback to the driver for training purposes. In yet other exampleembodiments, such information may be utilized for modifying control orother functions associated with the vehicle.

FIG. 6 shows a block diagram of an example image processing andinterpretation control system 600, according to an example embodiment ofthe invention. Part of the system 600, including a controller 602 and acamera 624, reside in a vehicle 601. According to an example embodiment,the system 600 may be configured to communicate, for example, with aremote processor/database 630 via a communications network 628.

According to an example embodiment, the controller 602 may include amemory 604. In an example embodiment, one or more processors 606 may bein communication with the memory 604. According to an exampleembodiment, the controller may include one or more input/outputinterfaces 608 and/or one or more network interfaces 610 forcommunication with the one or more processors 606. According to anexample embodiment, the one or more processors 606 may communicate withthe camera 624 via the one or more input/output interfaces 608 and/orone or more network interfaces 610.

According to an example embodiment, the memory 604 may include anoperating system 612 and data 614. According to example embodiments, thememory may include one or more modules for performing image processing618, performing pattern recognition 620, and/or performinginterpretation and providing output 622 based on the image processing618 and pattern recognition 620. According to example embodiments, thesystem 600 may be utilized to capture and process images associated withthe vehicle 601 via the camera 624, and may provide output(instructions, alerts, commands, etc.) based at least in part on thecaptured images.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of an example method 700, according to anexample embodiment of the invention. The method 700 may includeexecuting computer-executable instructions by one or more processors.According to an example embodiment, the method 700 may start in block702, and may include receiving the one or more images from at least onecamera attached to a vehicle. In block 704, and according to an exampleembodiment, method 700 may include selecting, from the one or morereceived images, a region of interest associated with an object in thevehicle. In block 706, and according to an example embodiment, method700 may include identifying fiducial marks within the selected region ofinterest by comparing the identified fiducial marks with one or morestored fiducial representations. In block 708, and according to anexample embodiment, method 700 may include determining, based at leastin part on the comparison, spatial information associated with theobject or an occupant of the vehicle. In block 710, and according to anexample embodiment, method 700 may include sending information based atleast in part on the determined spatial information. Method 700 endsafter block 710.

According to example embodiments, certain technical effects can beprovided, such as creating certain systems, methods, apparatus, andcomputer-readable media that can detect, interpret, and provideinformation about the placement, orientation, angle, or configuration ofone or more objects within a vehicle. Example embodiments of theinvention can provide the further technical effects of providingsystems, methods, apparatus, and computer readable media for readingfiducial marks associated with certain objects in a vehicle to determineplacement of an occupant's hand with respect to one or more objectswithin the vehicle.

Example embodiments of the invention may include any number of hardwareand/or software applications that are executed to facilitate any of theoperations. In example embodiments, one or more input/output interfacesmay facilitate communication between the image processing andinterpretation control system 600 and one or more input/output devices.For example, a universal serial bus port, a serial port, a disk drive, aCD-ROM drive, and/or one or more user interface devices, such as adisplay, keyboard, keypad, mouse, control panel, touch screen display,microphone, etc., may facilitate user interaction with the imageprocessing and interpretation control system 600. The one or moreinput/output interfaces may be utilized to receive or collect dataand/or user instructions from a wide variety of input devices. Receiveddata may be processed by one or more computer processors as desired invarious embodiments of the invention and/or stored in one or more memorydevices.

One or more network interfaces may facilitate connection of the imageprocessing and interpretation control system 600 inputs and outputs toone or more suitable networks and/or connections; for example, theconnections that facilitate communication with any number of sensorsassociated with the system. The one or more network interfaces mayfurther facilitate connection to one or more suitable networks; forexample, a local area network, a wide area network, the Internet, acellular network, a radio frequency network, a Bluetooth™ (owned byTelefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson) enabled network, a Wi-Fi™ (owned byWi-Fi Alliance) enabled network, a satellite-based network, any wirednetwork, any wireless network, etc., for communication with externaldevices and/or systems.

As desired, embodiments of the invention may include the imageprocessing and interpretation control system 600 with more or less ofthe components illustrated in FIG. 1 or FIG. 6.

Certain embodiments of the invention are described above with referenceto block and flow diagrams of systems and methods and/or computerprogram products according to example embodiments of the invention. Itwill be understood that one or more blocks of the block diagrams andflow diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and flowdiagrams, respectively, can be implemented by computer-executableprogram instructions. Likewise, some blocks of the block diagrams andflow diagrams may not necessarily need to be performed in the orderpresented, or may not necessarily need to be performed at all, accordingto some embodiments of the invention.

These computer-executable program instructions may be loaded onto ageneral-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a processor, orother programmable data processing apparatus to produce a particularmachine, such that the instructions that execute on the computer,processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus create meansfor implementing one or more functions specified in the flow diagramblock or blocks. These computer program instructions may also be storedin a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or otherprogrammable data processing apparatus to function in a particularmanner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readablememory produce an article of manufacture including instruction meansthat implement one or more functions specified in the flow diagram blockor blocks. As an example, embodiments of the invention may provide for acomputer program product, comprising a computer-usable medium having acomputer-readable program code or program instructions embodied therein,said computer-readable program code adapted to be executed to implementone or more functions specified in the flow diagram block or blocks. Thecomputer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer orother programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series ofoperational elements or steps to be performed on the computer or otherprogrammable apparatus to produce a computer-implemented process suchthat the instructions that execute on the computer or other programmableapparatus provide elements or steps for implementing the functionsspecified in the flow diagram block or blocks.

Accordingly, blocks of the block diagrams and flow diagrams supportcombinations of means for performing the specified functions,combinations of elements or steps for performing the specified functionsand program instruction means for performing the specified functions. Itwill also be understood that each block of the block diagrams and flowdiagrams, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and flowdiagrams, can be implemented by special-purpose, hardware-based computersystems that perform the specified functions, elements or steps, orcombinations of special-purpose hardware and computer instructions.

While certain embodiments of the invention have been described inconnection with what is presently considered to be the most practicaland various embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention isnot to be limited to the disclosed embodiments, but on the contrary, isintended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangementsincluded within the scope of the appended claims. Although specificterms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptivesense only and not for purposes of limitation.

This written description uses examples to disclose certain embodimentsof the invention, including the best mode, and also to enable any personskilled in the art to practice certain embodiments of the invention,including making and using any devices or systems and performing anyincorporated methods. The patentable scope of certain embodiments of theinvention is defined in the claims, and may include other examples thatoccur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intended tobe within the scope of the claims if they have structural elements thatdo not differ from the literal language of the claims, or if theyinclude equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differencesfrom the literal language of the claims.

The claimed invention is:
 1. A device for wireless communication,comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storingcomputer-executable instructions, that when executed by the at least oneprocessor, cause that at least one processor to: receive one or moreimages from at least one camera attached to a vehicle, wherein the oneor more images comprise one or more fiducial marks; determine, from theone or more images, a fiducial mark representation for a region ofinterest associated with an object in the vehicle, wherein the region ofinterest includes the one or more fiducial marks, and wherein thefiducial mark representation comprises a unique region and an alignregion; determine an alignment grid corresponding to the region ofinterest, wherein the alignment grid is based on the align region;determine an offset between the alignment grid and an alignment pattern;determine, based at least in part on the offset and the unique region,spatial information associated with the object or an occupant of thevehicle; and cause to send information based at least in part on thespatial information.
 2. The device of claim 1, wherein the spatialinformation comprises one or more of: position, angle, orientation,linear velocity, or angular velocity associated with the object.
 3. Thedevice of claim 1, wherein the spatial information comprises one or moreof hand position, hand grip, hand pressure, hand gesture, drivingresponse, driving accuracy, safety belt tension, body position, bodymovement, or intent associated with the occupant of the vehicle.
 4. Thedevice of claim 1, wherein the fiducial marks comprise an opticallyidentifiable pattern that varies with respect to a frame of referenceassociated with the object.
 5. The device of claim 4, wherein at least aportion of the optically identifiable pattern represents a position orangle associated with the object.
 6. The device of claim 1, whereindetermining the spatial information further comprises matching theoffset to an associated one of an angle, orientation, or position of theobject.
 7. The device of claim 1, wherein selecting a region of interestcomprises selecting at least a portion of a steering wheel or at least aportion of a safety belt.
 8. The device of claim 1, wherein sendinginformation comprises sending one or more of a steering wheel position,a steering wheel velocity, a hand position on a steering wheel, afingertip location on a steering wheel, a safety belt shape, or a safetybelt position.
 9. A computer-readable medium storing computer-executableinstructions, that when executed by at least one processor cause the atleast one processor to: receive one or more images from at least onecamera attached to a vehicle, wherein the one or more images compriseone or more fiducial marks; determine, from the one or more images, afiducial mark representation for a region of interest associated with anobject in the vehicle, wherein the region of interest includes the oneor more fiducial marks, and wherein the fiducial mark representationcomprises a unique region and an align region; determine an alignmentgrid corresponding to the region of interest, wherein the alignment gridis based on the align region; determine an offset between the alignmentgrid and an alignment pattern; determine, based at least in part on theoffset and the unique region, spatial information associated with theobject or an occupant of the vehicle; and cause to send informationbased at least in part on the spatial information.
 10. Thecomputer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the object comprises one ormore of a steering wheel or a safety belt.
 11. The computer-readablemedium of claim 9, wherein the at least one camera is one or more of avisible-light sensitive camera, a visible-light sensitive video camera,an infrared-sensitive camera, or an infrared-sensitive video camera. 12.The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the spatial informationcomprises one or more of: position, angle, orientation, linear velocity,or angular velocity associated with the object.
 13. Thecomputer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the spatial informationcomprises one or more of hand position, hand grip, hand pressure, handgesture, driving response, driving accuracy, safety belt tension, bodyposition, body movement, or intent associated with the occupant of thevehicle.
 14. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein thefiducial marks comprise an optically identifiable pattern that varieswith respect to a frame of reference associated with the object.
 15. Thecomputer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein at least a portion of theoptically identifiable pattern represents a position or angle associatedwith the object.
 16. A method, comprising: receiving, by a processor,one or more images from at least one camera attached to a vehicle,wherein the one or more images comprise one or more fiducial marks;determining, by the processor, from the one or more images, a fiducialmark representation for a region of interest associated with an objectin the vehicle, wherein the region of interest includes the one or morefiducial marks, and wherein the fiducial mark representation comprises aunique region and an align region; determining, by the processor, analignment grid corresponding to the region of interest, wherein thealignment grid is based on the align region; determining, by theprocessor, an offset between the alignment grid and an alignmentpattern; determining, by the processor, based at least in part on theoffset and the unique region, spatial information associated with theobject or an occupant of the vehicle; and causing to send, by theprocessor, information based at least in part on the spatialinformation.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the object comprisesone or more of a steering wheel or a safety belt.
 18. The method ofclaim 16, wherein the spatial information comprises one or more of:position, angle, orientation, linear velocity, or angular velocityassociated with the object.
 19. The method of claim 16, wherein thefiducial marks comprise an optically identifiable pattern that varieswith respect to a frame of reference associated with the object.
 20. Themethod of claim 19, wherein at least a portion of the opticallyidentifiable pattern represents a position or angle associated with theobject.